Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the incoming president of Brazil, announced on Thursday that he would fly to Egypt next week to attend the COP27 international climate summit and meet with world leaders.
“I will travel to Egypt on Monday. I will have more conversations with world leaders in a single day than (Jair) Bolsonaro did in four years,” Lula said during a meeting with legislators in Brasilia, in a dig at the current president, whom he beat in last month’s election.
The Workers’ Party (PT) leader did not specify which leaders he would meet with.
He was invited to the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh by Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
“We will reposition Brazil at the center of international geopolitics,” added Lula, 77.
He claimed that after defeating the far-right Bolsonaro in a close run-off in October, he had won re-election after serving two terms from 2003 to 2010.
The average annual deforestation in the Amazon jungle soared by 75% in the first three years under Bolsonaro, a climate change skeptic.
Lula pledged to achieve “zero deforestation” and made environmental protection a centerpiece of his platform.
He will take office on January 1 for a third term as president.
According to Brazilian media, after COP27 concludes on November 18, Lula will visit Portugal to meet with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
